Apparatus for lifting



Feb. 14, 1956 D. M. KING 2,734,648

APPARATUS FOR LIFTING, LOWERING AND OTHERWISE TRANSPORTING LOADS Filed Dec. 24, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l m i} i l 717 it r .ri 4 27 MM/AH jig/IP27 l l I I i5 7 Z2\\];L: I I Ab L T |J J/| l 25 I T A l i l l I L J L I Feb. 14, 1956 D M KING 2,734,648

APPARATUS FORAJFTING, LOWERING AND OTHERWISE TRANSPORTING LOADS Filed Dec. 24, 1954 ZSheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR LIFTING, LOWERING AND OTHERWISE TRANSPORTING LOADS Donald M. King, Stevenage, England Application December 24, 1954, Serial No. 477,536

Claims priority, application Great Britain September 12, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 214-630) This invention relates to apparatus for lifting, lowering and otherwise transporting loads and the present application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 378,603 filed September 4, 1953, and now abandoned.

It is the chief object of the invention to evolve an apparatus which is adapted particularly for handling stillages and other containers which are normally stored in piles or stacks.

According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a mobile frame or carriage adapted to be supported on anoverhead track, two lead supporting members which are supported one above the other and below said frame or carriage in such a manner as to be capable of upward and downward movement relatively thereto and means for moving said load supporting members independently of each other.

In further accordance with the invention, the apparatus comprises a mobile frame or structure adapted to be supported on an overhead track, one or more legs or masts depending from said frame or structure and adapted to provide vertical guide or track means, two load supporting members slidably supported on or in said guide or track means and means for moving said members independently of each other.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will hereinafter be more fully described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an apparatus according to the invention in end elevation.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figures 4 and 5 are detailed views showing respectively a stop bar for limiting the travel of the lower load supporting member and one of the pegs adapted to support such stop bar.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the apparatus therein illustrated comprises an upper frame or chassis having a plurality of sets of rollers 11 which are adapted to engage and run on fixed overhead tracks 12. Depending from the frameor chassis 10 are two pairs of legs or masts 13 and 14 the inner pair 13 serving to provide vertical tracks or guides for a carriage 15 while the outer pair 14 of said legs or masts serve as tracks or guides for a second carriage 16. The carriage 15, which is provided with rollers 17 adapted to engage and run in the tracks formed by the legs or masts 13, serves to support a pair of outwardly directed load supporting forks 18 which extend horizontally or substantially so. The carriage 15' is suspended by means of a cable 15 which passes around a winding drum 26 to which latter a reversible electric motor 21 is drivingly connected the arrangement being such that on operation of said motor said carriage 15 will be moved vertically upwardly or downwardly depending on the direction of drive of the motor 21.

The carriage 16 incorporating rollers 22 adapted to enice gage and run in the tracks formed by the legs or masts 14, is provided with two pairs of load supporting forks 23 and 24, the forks 23 being fixedly mounted on said carriage while the forks 24 are so mounted as to .be capable of a pivotal or tilting movement. The forks 24 each have an upwardly directed arm 25 to the upper end of which a cable 26 is attached said cables each passing around a freely rotatable pulley 27 carried by a bracket 27 attached to the carriage 16 and thence upwardly over a pulley 28 mounted on the frame 10 to a winding drum 29. The winding drums 29 are adapted to be operated by a reversible electric motor 30 which is drivingly connected thereto the arrangement being such that on operation of said motor in one direction or the other the carriage 16 and its associated load carrying forks 23 and 24 will be raised or lowered. Preferably each set of load supporting forks 23 and 24 will be provided with a plurality of freely rotatable rollers 31 to facilitate movement of loads thereover. Mounted on each of the legs or masts 14 at suitably spaced intervals therealong is a plurality of pegs or the like such as are indicated at 32 (Fig. 5). Also provided for co-operation with said pegs or the like 32 is a stop member 33 which in the embodiment illustrated comprises an angle bar having a pair of keysha-ped holes 34 therein. It will be appreciated that the member 33 may be applied to any pair of pegs 32 thereby to constitute an adjustable stop for the carriage 16.

it is intended that the apparatus described above shall be employed for handling stillages or containers which are stored in piles or stacks. In operation, the apparatus will be moved along the overhead tracks 12 until it is brought opposite to the required pile or stack of stillages, whereupon the motors 21 and 30 will be operated so that the carriages 15 and 16 incorporating the load supporting forks 18 and 23 respectively will be adjusted to the appropriate positions, the arrangement being such that as the apparatus is advanced towards the pile or stack of stillages the load supporting forks will be introduced into the latter.

The disposition of the carriages will be such that the upper set of load supporting forks 18 will be introduced under the stillage which is directly above the one to be transported away from the stack or pile, while the lower set of forks 23 will be introduced under the actual stillage to be transported. With the forks in position the motor 21 will be operated to raise the carriage 15 thereby to lift the stillages which are above the selected one clear of the latter such lifted stillages being supported on the forks 13. At this point, the motor 30 will be operated to raise the carriage 16 so that the forks 23 will be operated to lift the selected stillage clear of those beneath it in the stack or pile.

To effect unloading of the selected stillage the latter is pushed from the forks 23 on to the forks 24 this movement being facilitated by virtue of the presence of the rollers 31. At this point the motor 3!) may be operated to lower the carriage 16. As the carriage 16 moves downwardly it will abut against the stop member 33 afi'ixed to the masts i4 and thus further downward motion will be positively prevented. Continued operation of the motor 30 will however result in the continued paying out of the cables 26 so that the arms 25 and hence the forks 24 will be allowed to pivot, said forks moving downwardly thereby to effect discharge of the stillage therefrom. After discharge of the stillage from the forks 24 the latter may be restored to their initial position by reverse operation of the moto 39 thereby to wind in the cables 26.

On discharge of the stillage supported on the set of forks 24, the apparatus may be manipulated to restore those stillages supported on the uppermost set of forks 18 to the pile or-stack of which they originally formed a part or alternatively they may be placed on another pile or stack by suitable manipulation of the apparatus as a whole.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for lifting, lowering and otherwise transporting loads such apparatus comprising a mobile frame for support on an overhead track, guide means depending from said frame a first load supporting member slidably supported on said guide means to project outwardly therefrom at one side thereof, a second load supporting member disposed below the first and also slidably supported on said guide means said second member incorporating a first rigid part projecting outwardly from said guide means at the same side of the latter as said first load supporting member and a second part projecting outwardly from the opposite side of said guide means and capable of pivotal movement to effect discharge of any load transferred thereto from said first part, means for moving said first and second load supporting members independently of each other along the guide means and means whereby a pivotal movement may be imparted to said second part of said second member when the latter reaches a preselected position on said guide means.

2. Apparatus for lifting, lowering and otherwise transporting loads comprising a mobile frame for support on an overhead track, guide means depending from said frame, a first load supporting member slidably mounted on said guide means to project outwardly therefrom, a cable coupled to said load supporting member, a winding drum on said frame for operating said cable thereby to effect movement of said member relatively to said guide means, a second load supporting member disposed below the first and also slidably mounted on said guide means to project outwardly therefrom, auxiliary load supporting means associated with said second member and to which any load supported on the latter may be transferred, said auxiliary means being capable of pivotal movement to effect discharge therefrom of any load positioned thereon, at least one cable associated with said second load supporting member, at least one winding drum on said frame for operating the cable thereby to effect movement of the second load supporting member relatively to said guide means and adjustable stop means associated with said guide means for limiting the movement of said second load supporting member in one direction the arrangement being such that when said latter member is arrested by the stop means the auxiliary load supporting means will be caused to pivot thereby to discharge the load therefrom.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 in which the load supporting members each comprise a pair of fork elements disposed in spaced relationship, while the auxiliary load supporting means associated with the second of said members also comprise a pair of fork elements which are aligned with the elements of said latter member and project outwardly from the guide means in a direction opposite to that of said elements of said second member, said auxiliary load supporting means having the operating cable for said second load supporting member attached thereto and the arrangement being such that during raising and lowering of said second member said auxiliary means will be restrained from pivoting While when said second member is arrested by the stop further operation of the winding drum will result in pivotal movement of said auxiliary means.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the fork like elements of the second member and of the auxiliary means associated with the latter are provided with a plurality of freely rotatable rollers to facilitate movement of loads thereover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,610,610 Kemper Dec. 14, 1926 1,840,327 Paulsen Jan. 12, 1932 2,113,712 Robinson Apr. 12, 1938 2,496,399 Lesser Feb. 7, 1950 2,624,470 Geist Jan. 6, 1953 

